145.58
Group health insurance coverage for retired persons and survivors.

(A)
The public employees retirement board shall adopt
rules establishing eligibility for any coverage provided under this section.
The rules shall base eligibility on years and types of service credit earned by
members. Eligibility determinations shall be made in accordance with the rules,
except that an individual who, as a result of making a false statement in an
attempt to secure a benefit under this section, is convicted of violating
section 2921.13 of the Revised Code is
ineligible for coverage.

(B)
The
board may enter into agreements with insurance companies, health insuring
corporations, or government agencies authorized to do business in the state for
issuance of a policy or contract of health, medical, hospital, or surgical
coverage, or any combination thereof, for eligible
individuals receiving age and service retirement or a disability or survivor
benefit subscribing to the plan, or for PERS retirants employed under section
145.38 of the Revised Code, for
coverage in accordance with
division (D)(2) of section
145.38 of the Revised Code.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the policy or contract may
also include coverage for any eligible individual's spouse and dependent
children and for any of the eligible individual's sponsored dependents as the
board determines appropriate. If all or any portion of the policy or contract
premium is to be paid by any individual receiving age and service retirement or
a disability or survivor benefit, the individual shall, by written
authorization, instruct the board to deduct the premium agreed to be paid by
the individual to the company, corporation, or agency.

The board may contract for
coverage on the basis of part or all of the cost of the coverage to be paid
from appropriate funds of the public employees retirement system. The cost paid
from the funds of the system shall be included in the employer's contribution
rate provided by sections
145.48 and
145.51 of the Revised Code. The
board may by rule provide coverage to individuals who are not eligible under
the rules adopted under division (A) of this section if the coverage is
provided at no cost to the retirement system. The board shall not pay or
reimburse the cost for coverage under this section or section
145.584 of the Revised Code for
any such individual.

The board may provide for
self-insurance of risk or level of risk as set forth in the contract with the
companies, corporations, or agencies, and may provide through the
self-insurance method specific coverage as
authorized by rules of the board.

(C)
The
board shall, beginning the month following receipt of satisfactory evidence of
the payment for coverage, pay monthly to each recipient of service retirement,
or a disability or survivor benefit under the public employees retirement
system who is eligible for coverage under part B of the medicare program
established under Title XVIII of "The Social Security Act Amendments of 1965,"
79 Stat. 301 (1965), 42 U.S.C.A. 1395j, as amended, an amount
determined by the board for such coverage, except that the board shall make no
such payment to any individual who is not eligible for coverage under the rules
adopted under division (A) of this section or pay an amount that exceeds the
amount paid by the recipient for the coverage.

At the request of the
board, the recipient shall certify to the retirement system the amount paid by
the recipient for coverage described in this division.

(D)
The
board shall establish by rule requirements for the coordination of any
coverage or
payment provided under this
section or section 145.584 of the Revised Code with
any similar coverage or payment made available to the same individual by the Ohio police and
fire pension fund, state teachers retirement system, school employees
retirement system, or state highway patrol retirement system.

(E)
The
board shall make all other necessary rules pursuant to the purpose and intent
of this section.